Huh!

Surprising fact for today: The name "Buffy" originally comes from "Elizabeth."

An evening out

I'd had in mind to go listen to John Daniel's talk to the Natural History Club, but then my friend DO invited me to a concert at the same time. I've heard Daniel before, and since he lives in the area I'll probably see him again, so I went to the concert instead. DO is a professor in the German Department, and the German Consul has been on campus this week giving talks on the topic of German-Jewish relations, with this concert hosted by them on the same theme. Performing were a highly accomplished cellist, bassoonist, and pianist, doing works by Glinka, Beethoven*, Hans Gál, and Robert Kahn. The last two works had been destroyed by Nazis but rediscovered** by the cellist and bassoonist. Also there was an encore, "The Song of the Black Swan" by Heitor Villa-Lobos. It was a relatively private affair, 150 people maybe, in Gerlinger Lounge, a nice Tudor-style room, by which I mean panelled walls, tapestries, and cream-colored plasterwork. I had very good views of the bassoonist and cellist and came home with a cello CD.

* I don't know Glinka's connection to the theme, but the Beethoven piece was about Judas Maccabee.

**I'm curious as to what "destroyed and rediscovered" entails - perhaps an old recording turns up and the musicians reconstruct the score?